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Barnes and Noble
III
Current price: $14.99
Barnes and Noble
III
Current price: $14.99
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Size: CD
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Nu-disco luminaries
and
released several acclaimed albums and EPs during the 2000s, fusing bubbly Balearic house with the farthest reaches of wigged-out cosmic rock. They spent much of the 2010s working on their own respective projects, but they continued collaborating on remixes for artists ranging from
to
, in addition to remotely developing original material. Their third proper album arrives 11 years after their second, and on the surface, it seems like they were in no rush to finish a new record.
sounds much looser and less propulsive than their prior work, exploring the textures of space disco more than its club energy. They perversely put a track called "Grand Finale" at the beginning, and its Italo-drama synths, starshine pianos, and dubbed-out crawling tempo would seemingly make more sense as a comedown. "Martin 5000" is closer to their classic cosmic disco sound, with swift, polyrhythmic drumming accompanied by analog keyboard pulsations and smooth, gorgeous guitars reminiscent of
's work with
. The duo subvert expectations with the rest of the tracks, particularly in the way they construct tricky rhythms yet manage to keep everything sounding fluid and easygoing. "Small Stream" has a complex beat pattern that manages to go down in a flash, and "Oranges" seems like a laid-back palm tree sway, but its arpeggio seems more alert, and eventually the kick drum subtly bumps into double time. Final track "Birdstrik" is set to a low simmer, with a minimal beat shuffling away and pianos softly rippling on top.
is much more concise than other
albums, but it still reaches toward the outer limits the way that only their work can. ~ Paul Simpson